Latest Personal Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Personal Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
3 Ways Auto Insurers Should Adapt to Drivers’ Changing Road Habits
Nov 7 2016 // For a historically slow-moving industry, changes are occurring at a rapid rate in today’s auto insurance world. Drivers’ road habits are shifting and auto insurers should adapt to the changing behavior behind...
Startup Auto Insurer Root Targets Good Drivers with Smartphones
Nov 7 2016 // Root officially debuted in the U.S. market on October 25. The fledgling auto insurer, just 18 months old, relies on telematics and a customer’s smartphone to deliver what it says will be significantly cheaper rates...
Amazon Drivers Deliver ‘Joint Employer’ Claims Against E-commerce Giant
Nov 4 2016 // Amazon.com was sued by Illinois delivery drivers who say the company failed to pay them overtime for hauling its goods. Among the questions the judge will have to answer? Whether they actually worked for...
Maryland School Bus Driver Killed in Crash Had Traffic Violation History
Nov 4 2016 // The Baltimore school bus driver who died along with five others in a collision with a commuter bus was found at fault in three traffic-related cases in the last eight years, according to civil and criminal court records...
Uber Settles Claims of Sexual Assault by Drivers
Nov 4 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. settled a lawsuit filed by two women who sought to hold the company responsible for alleged sexual assaults by drivers. Terms of the accord weren’t disclosed in court papers. The settlement...
West Virginia Supreme Court: Driving Under the Influence on Private Property Illegal
Nov 4 2016 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that driving under the influence on private property is a crime. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the Supreme Court’s 4-1 ruling last week reversed a Monroe County...
Few Citations Issued in Year One of Oklahoma’s Texting and Driving Ban
Nov 3 2016 // Tulsa, Okla., police say a modest number of citations have been issued in the first year after Oklahoma banned texting and driving. The Tulsa World reports 75 citations were issued by the police department between Nov. 1,...
Pennsylvania Drivers Third Most Likely in U.S. to Have Deer-Related Accidents
Nov 3 2016 // Figures compiled by State Farm Insurance show that Pennsylvania drivers are the third most likely of motorists in any state to have a collision with a deer, having a one in 67 chance of a deer-related accident. With this...
Drivers Leaving Keys for Thieves a Growing Problem, Says Insurers’ Crime Bureau
Nov 2 2016 // Last year, one out of every eight car thefts was a freebie for the thief because the driver left the keys or the car access device inside. It’s a growing problem according to a report from the insurance...
Entrepreneur Shuts Startup After U.S. Questions Safety of Self-Driving Kit
Oct 31 2016 // Self-driving cars are getting closer by the day, but they won’t be coming from hacking phenomenon George Hotz. Hotz, the first person to jailbreak an iPhone and a vagabond of the world’s top tech companies, has...
UK Uber Drivers’ Court Victory Over Pay Could Rejigger Gig Economy
Oct 31 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. lost a lawsuit over pay and vacation time for U.K. drivers at the car-sharing service in a ruling that could change how workers are treated in the country’s burgeoning gig economy. Three London...
Startup Auto Insurer Root Targets Good Drivers with Smartphones
Oct 25 2016 // Root officially debuted in the U.S. market on October 25. The fledgling auto insurer, just 18 months old, relies on telematics and a customer’s smartphone to deliver what it says will be significantly cheaper rates...
Court in Arkansas Reverses Drunken Driving Conviction over Checkpoint
Oct 25 2016 // The Arkansas Supreme Court has overturned a man’s driving while intoxicated conviction, agreeing with the state Court of Appeals that it resulted from an unconstitutional sobriety checkpoint. Justices reversed Jeremy...
This Bud’s for Uber’s Self-Driving Truck Road Test
Oct 25 2016 // A tractor trailer full of beer drove itself down Colorado’s I-25 last week with nobody behind the wheel. Uber Technologies Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev NV teamed up on the delivery, which they said is the first time...
New Mexico Driver’s License Revamp Draws Fresh Criticism
Oct 21 2016 // New Mexico officials ran into fresh criticism Tuesday about revisions to the state’s immigrant driver’s license law at a public hearing on the proposed regulations. The Department of Taxation and Revenue has...
California Rules for Self-Driving Cars Draw Objections from Google, Automakers
Oct 20 2016 // Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit and automakers objected on Wednesday to California proposals to set new, mandatory rules for testing self-driving cars in the state, which industry officials said could hobble their...
Teens Who Use Phones While Driving Also Prone to Other Risky Behaviors
Oct 18 2016 // American teens who use their smartphones when they’re behind the wheel are also more likely to participate in other dangerous driving behaviors, like speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or...
Toyota Has Issues with California’s Plans for Self-Driving Safety Check List
Oct 12 2016 // A Toyota Motor Corp. official is raising concerns about California’s plans to require compliance with a planned U.S. autonomous vehicle safety check list, calling it “preposterous.” Hilary Cain, director...
Older Teen Drivers Remain High Risk for Crashes Despite Graduated Licensing Laws: Report
Oct 12 2016 // While states have made progress in reducing teen driver-involved traffic crashes and deaths over the past decade, teen drivers are still 1.6 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than their adult counterparts,...
How Self-Driving Cars Will Make Motorcycles Safer
Oct 11 2016 // Self-driving technology promises to pretty much transform the auto industry as we know it. It may also change the business of selling motorcycles—but in a very different way. It all comes down to safety, according to...
